Welcome to my Vegan Mom Blog! This is the lifestyle, food & travel blog of a vegan family with two healthy vegan kids. From vegan pregnancy to animal advocacy; we grow our community with peace, love, and unity. So please join our conversations on our social media platforms above and find our recipes, archives, and educational information below. All are welcome!

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

24 Vegan Family Dinners - Pestos, Pastas, Macs, and Bakes

Now that the kids are back to school and the weather has started to cool off, I thought it would be the perfect time to share a roundup of hearty, filling, family-friendly pastas recipes from this blog and all of our favorite vegan bloggers. From Stuffed Shells and lasagnas, to spaghetti and mac and cheese, we have 24 healthy plant based recipes for hungry families to enjoy.

1. Vegan Ricotta Stuffed Shells

[tofu based "ricotta"]

This is our family recipe and something that we make all the time. We also bring it to pot lucks or family gatherings because it is also easy for people to scoop out a stuffed shell or two and everyone seems to love it, even our picky kids!

2. Vegan Sunflower Mac and Cheese

[with sunflower seeds, potato, onion, and carrot]

This is our very own recipe for a savory mac and cheese made with sunflower seeds. The kids are crazy about this one and we love that the sunflower seeds are so high in folate, B6 and other nutrients.

Vegans may not have the old blue box of mac and cheese lying around but there are no shortage of easy Mac and Cheese recipes depending what kinds of veggies and nuts are in your cupboard. This recipe uses plant milk, cashews, and veggies to get its ultimate flavor.

This vegan mac and cheese recipe put another twist on this savory dish by adding creamy tahini to the mixture and topping with savory cheesy sunflower topping for a healthy and hearty baked version of our kids' fave.

This recipe makes use of a new vegan Ricotta that is available all throughout the US and it is rapidly becoming extremely popular. Here's how to use it to make a sumptuous Italian comfort dish that kids love.

Besides opening up a box of macaroni with a little vegan cheese packet to stir in, this has to be the easiest vegan mac and cheese recipe I've ever seen. So many of these recipes call for carrots but this is the easiest and most genius way I've seen anyone completely get out of the chopping work.

One thing that is always in my fridge, is a tub of miso. Did you know that miso can last up to 6 months? Good because a tiny bit of this stuff is all it takes to get an excellent umami flavor in a vegan mac and cheese. This recipe taps into this tablespoon of treasure as well as creamy cashews for their version of the classic dish.

This is our own family favorite that we have been making for years now, with a classic, healthy, potato/carrot/onion mac and cheese base and our own personal secret ingredient that gives it the rich buttery taste. Then there's the broccoli hidden in all that cheesiness to get that nice healthy dash of calcium and iron to round things off.